Block-signaling apparatus.



. PATENTED APR. 26, 1904.

'J. A. LEHR.

BLOCK SIGNALING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED r213. 1a, 1903.

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- I PATENTED APR. 26, 1904. J. A. LE-HR, BLOCK SIGNALING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 18, 1903.

Patented April 26, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. LEHR, OF NORTH YORK, PENNSYLVANIA.

- BLOCK-SIGNALING APPARATUS.

v SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 58,541, dated. April 26, 1904. Application'filed February 18, 1903. Serial No. 143,915. (No model.) I

Too/ll whom zit-may concern; 1

Be it known that I, JOHN A. LEHR, a citizen of the United States, residing at NorthYork,

in the county of York and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Block-Signaling Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in block-signaling apparatus for railways; and its object is to provide an apparatus of this character which is adapted to operate'signaling devices arranged upon two or more cars should they be located upon the same block at the same time. n

A further object is to provide a telephone attachment in connection with the signaling apparatus whereby persons upon the two cars may communicate with each other while said cars are in motion. I

Another obj ectis to provide means whereby a message can be transmitted from any desired pointto a car while the same is in motion.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in providing Overlapping conductor-rails, which are arranged parallel with each other between the tracks of the railroad, and these are adapted to be contacted by a roller which depends from a car and is electrically connected with suitable alarms or atelephone arranged within the car.

The invention also consistsin employing a switch of novelco nstruction which is adapted to berotated slowly during the movement of the car. and which is electrically connected with the car-wheels. This switch is so constructed as to direct a current to the different signals within the car successively, whereby injury to one of the signals will not prevent the sounding of the others.

The invention also further consists in providing means whereby a telephonemessage can be transmitted from a stationary point to a moving car or between two cars while in motion.

The invention also consists in the further novel construction and combination of parts, which will be more fully hereinafter described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a section through a car and showing diagrammatically the electrical connections between the alarms or telephone and the conductor-rails and the tracks. Fig. 2 is a detail. view of the switch. Fig. 3 is a similar view of a portion of one of the conductorrails, and Fig. 4 is a diagrammatical View showing a series of block-stations and their electrical connections with the tracks and conductor-rails. n Referring to the figures by numerals of ref- .erence, 1 1 are the rails of the track, and arranged therebetween upon suitable standards 2 are strips 3, having tapered upper edges upon which are secured Y-shap ed conductorrails 4. Two rows of these rails and strips are arranged between the rails of the track, and said conductor-rails overlap, as illustrated in Fig. 4, for the purpose hereinafter more fully described. i V p Car-wheels 5 are mounted upon the axle 6 of a car, and upon one end of this axle is also secured a small gear 7, adapted to mesh with teeth 8, formed upon the periphery of arotary switch-plate 9. This plate has preferably three flanges 10, extending from one face thereof and concentric with its periphery. The ends of these flanges do not overlap, and they are arranged at diiferent distances from the center of the switch-plate.v A series of preferably three alaim-bells 11 is located withinthe car, and one of these bells is connected, by means of a wire 12, to the positive pole of a battery 15, and another one is connected, by means of a wire 12, with the negative pole of another battery 15, and both of these batteries are electrically connected to contacts 13, adapted to bear upon flanges 10, before referredto. The wire 12 of the third bell extends to the third contact 13 and is not connected to a battery. The wires 14 of the bells are electrically connected to hangers l6, hinged to the bottom of the car, but insulated therefrom and having a roller 17 journaled therebetween and adapted to normally bear upon the rails 4 thereunder. A telephone 19 may be located at a point adjacent the alarm-bells and is electrically connected to the wires 14. A switch 20 is preferably interposed between the telephone and the wires 12, so that the same may be In Fig. 4 I have shown block-stations 21 located at opposite sides of the track alternately, and each has a wire 22 extending to the adjacent rail of the track. Wires 23 also connect the station with the adjacent ends of the conductor-rails 4t, and a switch 24 is located in the station, so that wire 22 can be placed in circuit with either of the wires 23 at the sides thereof. In Fig. 4 I have indicated the block-stations by the letters A, B, C, D, and E. Should a person at station B desire to communicate with a person upon acar located between stations A and B, it would merely be necessary for him to shift the switch 24 so as to close the circuit between wires 22 and 23, as illustrated in Fig. 4. A circuit is then established from wire 22 through wire 23, rail 4, roller 17, and its hangers 16, battery 15, the alarms 11, or telephone 19, wires 12, and their contacts 13, flanges 10, gear 7, axle 6, wheels 5, and rail 1. As the gear 7 is of such size as to revolve the circular switchplate 9 very slowly compared with the revolution of axle 6, it will be seen that the contacts 13 will be comparatively free of all vibrations during the revolution of the switchplate and that a steady current can be transmitted through the wires from the station B to the telephone 19 upon the car or to the alarms 11. Should a car come from the opposite direction upon the same track, a circuit will promptly be established through both cars and the conductor-rails and the rails of the track as soon as they both come into position above one of said conductor-rails. The alarms in both cars will be sounded simultaneously, and by switching the telephone 19 onto the circuit thus established the parties .upon the two cars may communicate with each other, if desired. The bell upon one of the cars and which is not connected to a battery is adapted to be operated by either of the batteries on a second car, and the other bells will be operated by one battery on each car aslong as said batteries are unopposed to each other.

By providing three flanges 10 upon. the switch-plate and three alarm-bells it will be seen that should one of said bells become disabled the other two would be rung as soon as the contacts 13 connected therewith are brought into circuit by their respective flanges 10.

In the foregoing description I have shown the preferred form of my invention; but I do not limit myself thereto, as I am aware that modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages thereof, and I therefore reserve the right to make such changes as fairly fall within the scope of my invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a contact-roller; of a rotary switch-plate electrically connected with the wheels of a car, parallel concentric non-overlapping flanges upon said plate, contacts, one of which is at all times in position upon one of the flanges, an alarm electrically connected to each contact, and an electrical connection between said alarms and the contact-roller. v

2. In an apparatus of the character described, the'combination with a rail, and parallel conductor-rails; of a rotary car-axle, a wheel thereon mounted on the rail, a contactroller mounted on the conductor-rails, a gear secured to the car-axle, a rotary switch-plate having teeth meshing with the gear, curved flanges upon one face of the plate and concentric therewith, said flanges being at different distances from the periphery of the plate and having non-overlapping ends, contacts, one of which is at all times in position upon one of the flanges, alarms, electrical connections between the alarms and contacts, all but one of said connections including a battery, a telephone electrically connected to the contacts and roller, and means for throwing said telephone or the alarms into or out of circuit.

3. The combination with the rails of a track, parallel overlapping conductor-rails therebetween, and means for placing a rail of the track in circuit with a conductor rail; of means upon a car for establishing a circuit between said track and conductor-rails, said means comprising hangers adapted to be secured to, but insulated from a car, a roller journaled therebetween and adapted to bear uponthe conductor-rails, a switch-plate electrically connected with but adapted to revolve slower than the axle of a car, curved flanges upon one face of the switch-plate and at different distances from the periphery thereof, said flanges having non-overlapping ends, a contact for each flange, an alarm electrically connected with each flange, and an electrical connection between the alarms and the roller, whereby when two cars are brought into position upon one conductor-rail a circuit is established therebetween through the rails of the track and the conductor-rail.

In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN A. LEHR.

Witnesses:

DONALD H. Yos'r, SPENCER D. VVAREHEIM.

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